back-to-back

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

1
: facing in opposite directions and often touching
2
: coming one after the other : consecutive

back-to-back

2 of 2

noun

plural back-to-backs
1
British : a house that is connected in a row with other houses on each side and with a similar row of houses behind it
These were where the millworkers dwelt, the worst of them known as back-to-backs because that is how they were built, without intervening space.Geoffrey Moorhouse
2
sports : a sequence of two games scheduled to be played on consecutive days
Miami began to beat elite teams and was bloodlessly efficient in the second half of back-to-backs, winning 11 in a row over a three-month stretch, a sign of a team with toughness.Jack McCallum

Examples of back-to-back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective or adverb
Then, in March, it was reported that a fourth season was also in the works, and being filmed back-to-back with Season 3. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 During one pivotal sequence midway through the second half, Arizona’s KJ Lewis fought his way toward the basket for back-to-back putbacks that had Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd wildly celebrating on the sideline. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Purcell Marian junior Dee Alexander named back-to-back Ms. Basketball winner. – New here? Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 Sundaram might see them on back-to-back days, then go three months without a sighting. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Some famous faces are returning to Studio 8H: NBC has announced that Kristen Wiig and Ryan Gosling will return to host back-to-back episodes of Saturday Night Live in April. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Fluke in timing Airline industry analyst Kit Darby also chalked up the string of incidents happening back-to-back up to a fluke in timing. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 In the fifth and final Inglewood, California show at the Kia Forum, Cardi B, 31, and Madonna, 65, posed in their judges chairs, back-to-back in matching blonde wigs and cone-bras, which the queen of pop famously wore during her 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Madison Bethel buries back-to-back jumpers in transition and the lead is down to single digits. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'back-to-back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of back-to-back was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near back-to-back

Cite this Entry

“Back-to-back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-to-back. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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